Blue Lives Matter

Several weeks ago I wrote a piece on the Black Lives Matter movement and the questions, concerns, and statistics that I feel need to be acknowledged and studied. In that article, I was very intentional to not speak ill of the police force across this country, and today, I want to speak on the Blue Lives Matter movement, and the questions, concerns, and statistics that also desperately needs addressing in our country because you do not have to choose between black and blue lives. Each movement brings up valid concerns we should not ignore.

Let’s begin by admitting law enforcement is an incredibly dangerous pursuit. According to the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund, from 2006-2015 1,439 police officers died in the line of duty or as a result from the line of duty. There are a variety of causes of these deaths from felonious acts, accidents, disasters, and even job related illness. It was eye opening to see being shot by a criminal is not even close to the only danger police officers face. If you want a more detailed list of how many police officers were killed by crimes, you can search through the FBI statistics here. Besides from being killed in the line of duty, being assaulted is also a common occurrence. According to the FBI from 2010-2014, 8,617 officers were assaulted with 9 dying from the injuries from the assault. That number is not how many assaults occurred. It is how many different officers were assaulted.

I think the most dangerous aspect to my day as a pastor is the fast food garbage I grab to eat, so I can drive to make visits.